On the selling side, I've never had much issue either; the last hiccup I recall was a pack of photo paper for printing headshots (for acting gigs) that never turned up; even though the seller was one of those dubious entities with 99-something % positive feedback but hundreds of Negatives due to the sheer numbers they move, I messaged them and got my refund.
Recently, I procured this lovely pair of raw selvage denim jeans by the French fashion house A.P.C., in the Petit Standard cut--an exceeding bitch to find even in retailers that carry APC, and highly sought-after in the online denim hypebeast community.It was one of those rare Crossroads Trading finds, brand-new, untarnished, yet selling for 25% of retail price. Unfortunately, even given A.P.C.'s notorious stretch factor, I decided that the crushing pressure the tapered legs put on my track-star calves were not worth the dashingly slim silhouette, and decided to flip'em.
Listed, 7-day auction (during which I endured multiple haggling offers, including one for $140 that I probably should've taken in retrospect), and winning bid ends up being $130. Typically, though you have 4 days before a seller can open a dispute case against you, people pay right after so you can get their packages on their merry way. I was a little annoyed, then, when no money turned up that evening...or the next morning.
Since I clearly posted the listing with a "pay within 36 hrs" notice, I decided to send a friendly reminder:
Friendly reminder--it's now been 36 hours since auction's end, please send payment. The sooner you do so, the sooner I can get these to you. Thanks.
Wednesday came, 3 days after the auction ended, and still nothing. By this time, I was more than a bit miffed, and decided on a stronger bit of rhetoric:
Hello again. Please send payment by end of day today. If you are unable, at least notify me of how long it will be before you can send it. Otherwise, by tomorrow I will have little choice but to open an unpaid item dispute and relist to make sure I haven't wasted my time and money.
一般eBay的规矩是： 无法付钱，不要出价。I hope you understand that. Thanks.
I added that last bit with inference from the winner's name, in case my English vocabulary had been sailing over his head like so many Exocoetidae.
That evening, o ho! A response:
Fair enough, I thought. So you're a style-conscious guy, but the pocketbook's hurting as of late. I can relate. But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna take a L on some misplaced sense of empathy. Here's what I had to say:
I appreciate the response. However, selling for $100 shipped means I'd be taking a 1/3 loss on these brand-new condition jeans. Not acceptable.
I will cancel this auction and relist the jeans, at no penalty to you. In the future, please do not bid if you're unsure whether you can pay.
A little more background: eBay sellers are sometimes a testy lot, and frequently--especially in the case of actual businesses, pawn/consignment shops, and the like--have very little patience before they lay the smack down with rep-destroying negative feedback or unpaid item strikes. In light of that, my response was already more than reasonable--especially since I was going to be paying another $2 in relisting fees, having lost out on my initial $2 investment.
To my surprise, I get this Thursday:
would you take 110 shipped with a private auction then?
Cheeky bastard, I thought. A minute ago, you barely had two Ulysses Grants to rub together, and now all of a sudden, you've pulled a Hamilton out of your ass? What did you suppose this is, e-Open Air Market? I decided not to dignify this with a response.
Sunday relisting time came, and I realized that my eBay fees balance had skyrocketed--even though no money had been received, eBay already charged $11 in Final Value Fees to ty account! Shit, I thought. Apparently I had to go through the bureaucratic channel of formally canceling the transaction, which requires the other party to agree.
I sent the request, and this is what came back moments later:
i still very interested in this pair of jean. can you set up a private auction for 110 for them?
A little glass dial broke in my head. Oh, you still interested? You still likey the jeans, you cheap sniveling wanker? Even I had enough common sense not to drop money on clothes around the time of the month when rent/student loans come due. This had to end.
Frankly speaking, it's unfair to both the other bidders and myself for you to haggle like this for a price lower than your winning bid. You're wasting your time as well as mine, especially since you claimed to have only $100, then $110, of cash on hand. If money is an issue, perhaps you should consider another purchase besides an $100+ pair of designer jeans.
I have already relisted the jeans. Please do us both a favor and agree to cancel the transaction, before I carry the dispute further within eBay's system. Thanks.
At the end of the day, there's a certain comfort in knowing there's somebody out there whose priorities are even more topsy-turvy than mine.
Wednesday came, 3 days after the auction ended, and still nothing. By this time, I was more than a bit miffed, and decided on a stronger bit of rhetoric:
Hello again. Please send payment by end of day today. If you are unable, at least notify me of how long it will be before you can send it. Otherwise, by tomorrow I will have little choice but to open an unpaid item dispute and relist to make sure I haven't wasted my time and money.
一般eBay的规矩是： 无法付钱，不要出价。I hope you understand that. Thanks.
I added that last bit with inference from the winner's name, in case my English vocabulary had been sailing over his head like so many Exocoetidae.
That evening, o ho! A response:
hey, im sorry but i realized i do no have enough money to purchase this item. would you like to cancel this auction and set up a private auction for the jeans for 100 dollars? that is what i have in my bank account and it is ready to be sent. you can waive the auction fee by a mutual decision to cancel it. i am able to send 100 dollars through paypal if you agree to this. im sorry for the inconvenience but things have been busy lately. thanks again
Fair enough, I thought. So you're a style-conscious guy, but the pocketbook's hurting as of late. I can relate. But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna take a L on some misplaced sense of empathy. Here's what I had to say:
I appreciate the response. However, selling for $100 shipped means I'd be taking a 1/3 loss on these brand-new condition jeans. Not acceptable.
I will cancel this auction and relist the jeans, at no penalty to you. In the future, please do not bid if you're unsure whether you can pay.
A little more background: eBay sellers are sometimes a testy lot, and frequently--especially in the case of actual businesses, pawn/consignment shops, and the like--have very little patience before they lay the smack down with rep-destroying negative feedback or unpaid item strikes. In light of that, my response was already more than reasonable--especially since I was going to be paying another $2 in relisting fees, having lost out on my initial $2 investment.
To my surprise, I get this Thursday:
would you take 110 shipped with a private auction then?
Cheeky bastard, I thought. A minute ago, you barely had two Ulysses Grants to rub together, and now all of a sudden, you've pulled a Hamilton out of your ass? What did you suppose this is, e-Open Air Market? I decided not to dignify this with a response.
Sunday relisting time came, and I realized that my eBay fees balance had skyrocketed--even though no money had been received, eBay already charged $11 in Final Value Fees to ty account! Shit, I thought. Apparently I had to go through the bureaucratic channel of formally canceling the transaction, which requires the other party to agree.
I sent the request, and this is what came back moments later:
i still very interested in this pair of jean. can you set up a private auction for 110 for them?
A little glass dial broke in my head. Oh, you still interested? You still likey the jeans, you cheap sniveling wanker? Even I had enough common sense not to drop money on clothes around the time of the month when rent/student loans come due. This had to end.
Frankly speaking, it's unfair to both the other bidders and myself for you to haggle like this for a price lower than your winning bid. You're wasting your time as well as mine, especially since you claimed to have only $100, then $110, of cash on hand. If money is an issue, perhaps you should consider another purchase besides an $100+ pair of designer jeans.
I have already relisted the jeans. Please do us both a favor and agree to cancel the transaction, before I carry the dispute further within eBay's system. Thanks.
At the end of the day, there's a certain comfort in knowing there's somebody out there whose priorities are even more topsy-turvy than mine.
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